Hey GD fans! Well, this transfer has been LONG overdue! For many of deadheads this was one of the first real sources that was widely distributed after the show performance. Of course, the real reason the show flourished so rapidly is the set list matches the performance. The soundboard source that came next wasn't that great but interest and demand gave us fans a legitimate commercial release "Nightfall of Diamonds" via dead. net. (try to grab a CD copy with HDCD, and get into HDCD it's cool!)

I got to hand it to the taper (Ted Mattes) for taping this show and also a great nod to the ever cool transfer team of C. Miller and Co. I like that the original master DAT had been used for the transfer; many early transfers from PCM to DAT, and DAT to DAT can get corrupted by "emphasis" and other digital maladies. This sounds better than my DAT copy and it's at 48 kHz. The reason this show sounded so appealing was the ORTF choice of mic placement. Since we don't have a real location of Mattes, it sounds as if he may have not been in the sweet spot of the arena. However, with ORTF you can still yield a BALANCED stereo image at 110 degrees. (Research ORTF and you will understand more) Moreover, is the significant lack of crowd cheer from a hand held "Front of Board" source; this gives the listener a taste of a old fashioned FM broadcast sound. I like the sound of the recording, it does sound a little distant, not too muddy, but you get a nice idea of what it may have sounded like ... Also, other aud sources to me do not sound that much better or superior at all. The Meadowlands really does not have good acoustics for arena. If you are a hardcore fan of this show like me, you will want a copy of it. Also, a matrix mix would be cool too in the future.